1. How long does it take to get my order?

2. Why should I care about water quality when brewing coffee?

Water quality is the key to great coffee, ask any of your favorite coffee shops if water is important to brewing their coffee. The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) created a water standard to help guide the specialty coffee industry. This was a pivotal guide to Third Wave Water's initial requirements as they comply with SCA water standards (Classic Profile & Espresso Profile). Here are a few key reasons why water quality is important:

﻿Flavor – Water can flatten the taste of your coffee. If your water does not have the correct amount of buffer or kH (alkalinity) it can be overwhelmed with acidity or have a massive lost in flavor due to no allowing enough acidity. Coffee is naturally acidic trying to change the water and water buffers can inhibit this exchange of flavor, or even the perception of some flavors on your tongue.

Extraction – Coffee requires certain minerals present to properly extract, pulling the coffee flavors out of the bean and into your cup. Calcium is one of those important minerals necessary to extract the coffee oils into the water; all three water profiles contain calcium.

Protect your investment – If you purchased all of the right brewing gear and spend $10+/lb for coffee, why ruin the experience with bad water? Protect your investment and get the most out of your coffee by using the final tool, the right water, to brew your coffee.

5. What kind of water should I add Third Wave Water minerals to?

We recommend using either distilled water or water from a reverse osmosis (RO) system. Make sure to acquire water with 0-9 total dissolvable solids
(TDS). Distilled water can be found in the United States at the following locations:

Grocery stores (For example: Kroger, HEB, Whole Foods, etc.)

Convenience stores (For example: Rite Aid, Walgreens, etc.)

Supermarkets (For example: Target, Walmart, etc.)

NOTE: The only countertop filter system we recommend using to acquire water to mix with your Third Wave Water mineral packet is Zero Water since it removes everything from the water.

8. What is the Shelf life for the mineral packs?

9. What is the difference between the three (3) water profiles?

Currently Third Wave Water creates three water profiles: Classic Profile, Espresso Profile and the Dark Roast Profile. Each profile comes in a variety of sizes (1 gallon, 5 gallon, 2 liter or 4 liter) and pack sizes (2-packets or 12-packets). Here are the details of each profile:

The Classic Profile - This water profile is recommended for traditional drip coffee brewers or any manual brewing method (e.g., aeropress, chemex, V60, etc.) providing brigher, cleaner flavors and higher acidity. It is SCA compliant and is our most popular water profile and you will understand why when you finally make the jump to try Third Wave Water for your coffee. Try it. You won't regret the decision! Ingredients:

Magnesium Sulfate

Calcium Citrate

Sodium Chloride

﻿The Espresso Profile - This water profile is specially engineered for your espresso machines avoiding the use of water boiler destroying chlorides. If you love your expensive and aesthetically pleasing espresso machine and want it to last longer than a couple of years using your current water, then use the Espresso Profile with your espresso machine today. It is SCA compliant and helps protect your machine's boiler while simultaneously providing fantastic shots of delicious espresso. Ingredients:

11. Do you sell packets in liters?

12. How do I use the 5-gallon packs?

The 5-gallon packs were created to be used with a 5-gallon carboy; this is probably the most common size of water jug in the United States. We recommend using a powered pump (flojet is our current favorite) to hook up your espresso machine so you don't have to manually fill your espresso machine in use.

14. Can I use Third Wave Water with my Keurig® or Nespresso machine®? Do I need to remove the carbon filter first?

Yes, you can use Third Wave Water with a Keurig or Nespresso machine. And you do not need to remove the filter. The carbon filter in these type of machines will not filter out our minerals because those types of filters do not remove minerals from the water. However, your filter is not needed because your water is now already optimum for brewing and will help protect your coffee maker. We recommend using the Classic Profile or your Keurig and the Espresso Profile for your Nespresso machine.

15. Do you sponsor coffee events?

Yes! We love helping coffee connoisseurs have the best experience possible! Please fill out THIS FORM to provide some basic information about the event and how you would like to share Third Wave Water with your participants.

16. What is Third Wave Coffee?

We get this question often. There are many aspects of what the coffee industry calls third wave coffee. It includes the ethics of sourcing coffee and the methods of trying to create the best coffee possible with all available resources and processes. It might sound a bit dull and dry, but when you experience the wizardry yourself, you won’t go back. Here are some fun methods to start with:

Choose your brew method and experiment! • There are so many great brew methods available today, this is a great time to be a fan of coffee. Chemex, V60, Kalita Wave, Aeropress, American Press, French Press, etc. NOTE: paper filters remove oils and can add brightness to your coffee, so make sure you experiment!

Grind your coffee • Use a burr grinder for a consistent grind and throw your paddle/blade grinder in the trash please.

Heat up your water • Add a Third Wave Water capsules to a gallon of your distilled or RO water to create the perfect balance of minerals, enabling all of those delicate aromas and vivid acids to shine through. Temperatures vary with your brew method, but start by heating from 195 to 205 degrees F.

Rinse your filter • If you chose a method that has a paper filter then this step will remove unwanted paper pulp still trapped in the paper filter, which adds a touch of bitterness. Toss the rinse water in the sink.

Add your ground coffee • Zero out your scale before tossing the coffee into your brewer. Remember this number [in grams] because you are about to create some wonderful trickery. Take that number and multiply it by 16. This is a ratio of 16:1 and is now the magical number you need to remember when you measure the amount of water you brew with.

Bloom your coffee • Zero out your scale before blooming. Poke your finger in the middle of the coffee to create a divot to help the water stay centered as you add just enough water to saturate the coffee…then STOP and wait ~60 seconds. Watch and breathe in the aroma as the bubbles unlock the first stage of flavor. CO2 is trapped inside the cell structure of the bean. Blooming removes the gases and prepares the coffee bed for even extraction.

Finish brewing • Remember that number you multiplied times 16? Make sure that you STOP when the scale displays this number and prepare for a third wave coffee experience…at least the brewing step.

These steps are only the beginning for you true coffee fanatics. We know who you are as we proudly wear the Third Wave Coffee merit badge ourselves. Once you discover great coffee it is impossible to turn back to the mud and mire you previously were forced to endure. Welcome to Third Wave Coffee and welcome to Third Wave Water!